With the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics less than a year away, organizing committee CEO Andrea Varnier said he has “absolutely no doubt” that sliding sports will be held in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, after testing went well last week. There was concern that the venue for bobsled, luge and skeleton might not be ready in time for next February’s Games. The International Olympic Committee even demanded a Plan B option that could have the events moved to Lake Placid, New York, if things fell apart. The International Bobsled and Skeleton Federation said last week’s testing period at the track was “successful.” Now, Varnier is confident about the pace rebuilding the century-old sliding center is on. “We were always very optimistic, but until the pre-homologation (testing) of course, there were a lot of doubts around us,” he said. “But we were confident, and we’re very happy now.” Officials from the International Bobsled and Skeleton Federation, International Luge Federation and the International Olympic Committee will determine whether the track receives official preliminary certification. Last week’s events were enough to leave Varnier in good spirits. Completion is scheduled for Nov. 5, then there would be homologation and handover to Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026 to hold the Games. Before the Olympics, the International Bobsled and Skeleton Federation and International Luge Federation are set to use the new track for international training and test events. Varnier said it is important that the sliding sports be held in Cortina to improve the experience for those involved. “Very happy because that would be ideal for the athletes to be all together, to stay together in Cortina,” he said. “Will be ideal for the spectators who will have a more truly Olympic experience in Cortina, and also for for the media and all the operators that -- it would have been very difficult to follow those sliding sports somewhere else in the world.” AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/winter-olympics